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How do!

Right, I really really mean it this time. Even got a proper hobby room and everything! 2026 is the year I get back on the Hobby Horse and ride it into the sunset.

2024 was a great success until the sudden and unexpected death of my Dad, which put a real downer on things.

2025 I was dealing with grief, and the purchase of my forever home, so got relatively little hobby done due to sustained life upheavel and not one, but two depressive episodes.

But in 2026? I think I’m looking at plain sailing. Should be moving to a more rewarding and less stressful workstream professionally, which helps balance the mental humours and keeps the head weasels from their scurrying. And I’ve got my hobby/crafting room more or less as I want it. So I’ve about as few barriers to regular hobby sessions as I think can be expected. Heck, I’ve even got a private rear garden, not over looked by an adult care home, where I can big things sprayed nice and quick once the weather brightens up (probably around March/April).

As with 2024? I’m gonna kick off with my Epic Scale treasures. They’re quick to paint, and don’t take much to get a decent finish on. So they’re ideal in my opinion for building up hobby stamina, and getting further motivation as your results show really quick.

From there, I’ll likely alternate between 28mm Heresy and Necromunda. Got plenty of both to get through. So much I may need a third display cabinet.

And when I’ve got all that done? There’s still my complete HeroQuest collection to pile through.

Is gonna be a busy one!

And to kick it off?

Day 1, 1st January 2026

Assembled a brace each of Glaives and Ascalon Superheavies. Fun little kits, and not overly fiddly despite the tiny scale.

Also knocked out half a box of Araknae. Other sprue I’ll make one each of the Accelerator and Punisher Cannons, and two from the Massive Frag Missiles.

Frag Missiles only get two shots a game, but are barrage, 3” blast and two attack dice for each of those. So pretty useful for dissuading enemy infantry within a respectable bubble.

Good luck with your enterprise Doc - sorry to hear about the head weasels but I suppose that's only to be expected given the circumstances.

Will be checking back for regular inspirations / stuff to steal!

Cheers dude

Haven’t yet put my existing LI army back in the cabinet, as I wanted to blast through this lot. It’s also easier to keep them in their carry case for ease of reference when it’s painting time.

That does remind me I need to get a couple more paints. Not at all sure my Vampire Red and Blood Red have enough.

LI is not a game I think I would be very interested in, but I do like seeing what other people do with it, so it'll be fun to watch your tiny army come together. It's also nice to see you able to settle in to some normalcy, given your stated life events in the last couple of years.

I definitely need a break from unpleasantness. And doing hobby stuff is generally good for mental health. Certainly beats rotting in front of the telly night after night.

Sorry to hear about your dad.
And glad to hear you keeping busy. Busy is good.

Saw your new hobby room, and wish you and your family all the best, and much progress in the hobby.

I like to throw Baldermort into the background and get stuck in the sprue glue and paint.
Hope you will find his work as interesting and valuable as I do.
https://www.youtube.com/@Baldermort

Day 2, 2nd January 2026

A red day! A sword day! A Speccy Blindo day!

Yes, as Middle Age makes itself felt, this is my first build wearing my reading/VDU specs. And what a difference it made. Even the fiddly heavy flamers on the Fun Buses were a doddle this time.

Getting your eyes tested is a sensible thing to do, even if you don’t end up needing them - all sorts of disease and illness can be spotted from them. So well worth getting your own peepers checked.

Fire Raptors will end up with the full suite of ball turrets, just not right now.

Also bonus pic of some of my to-do pile. Yes. Some.

Day 3, 3rd January 2026

Busier day today in general, so less Hobby time. Also able to have a proper big meal for the first time since NYE, and that preceded a food coma.

Vegetarian Indian Feasts will do that for you!

Anyways, here’s four new Vindicators.

Bloody close to having my Saturnine Battlegroup fully built.

Get some, Doc. Let's rip into 2026.

Inspiring move to shift jobs into a less stressful one...something I've been looking at doing for a few years now but have been too cowardly to pull the trigger on.

By the looks of those boxes you've got plenty to keep you busy - lets see some paint on these little guys.

Here's to a great year!

Thanks dude. It’s the same job, but more potentially rewarding case work. Seems there’s a finite amount of time you can deal with the dregs of society for nothing more than financial reward before the brain just says No More.

Anyways!

Day 4, 4th January 2026

Finished the Vindicators, and did the second box worth of Saturnine. Bonus pic of everything I’ve built this year, plus four superheavies from just before New Year.

Downstairs, which I really need to bring upstairs? 16 Whirlwinds/Scorpius, 2 more Fun Bus, 8 more Vindicators, 6 Land Raiders, 4 Dreadnought Drop Pods and 4 Regular Drop Pods.

Still to build is another box of Drop Pods, and the always almost forgotten four sets of Astartes Infantry.

The painting side shall begin soon.

Day 5, 5th January 2025

Second and most likely final box of Drop Pods assembled. I figure eight going in fully loaded with four Dreadnought Drop Pods should be sufficient to create a hammer for a tactical anvil.

Also, group shot of everything needing painting. It is a lot, but if you recall my 2024 Odyssey? My LI Scheme is usually fast enough to let me really hammer it out rapidly.

I think I will change it up a bit though. Few of these tanks have handy handholds for the Speed Paint/Contrast stage. And the paint I use is fairly slow to dry.

So I think, with so many assembled models at once? I’m gonna batch it. So, get them all Mech Std Grey, then the Gun Metal pre-highlight. From there break out the Grim Black and Just. Keep. Going. All the tops one night, all the bottoms the next (oooer, sounds a bit rude!). With that most time consuming stage done? Go back to squadron at a time for detailing (picking out weapons, tracks, spot colours).

Evening Doc, sounds like a rough period but hopefully 2026 will be an easy year for you. A dedicated hobby room/area will mean there are no excuses for de-stressing and unwinding with a paint brush in hand!
Looks like you have plenty to be getting on with and that is a hell of a mechanised division you’ve pieced together so far.

It’s definitely diversified what my tiny Dangles can do!

Think today I’ll start on the infantry. Got…erm….16 Contemptors to build, and 8 bases worth of Missile Launcher to glue to bods.

I generally prefer building to painting, but I find building LI scale models a real chore (while painting them is more enjoyable). So you've made impressive progress!

That's a very clean and well-organised hobby space you have. I have no immediate prospect of getting a hobby space of my own, as we've downsized to a 2-bedroom apartment and my wife (who stealth-retired on me a few years ago) has taken possession of our second bedroom. I therefore continue to occupy the coffee table. Priming is a problem, however, as we no longer have a balcony.

I have to ask though - what are 'head weasels'?

Head Weasels is a mental health reference, when your thoughts won’t settle, or indeed focus. It’s not necessarily negative or self harming thought, just like a constant mind storm preventing you focussing and concentrating, so you end up with a head full of thoughts, slumped on the sofa.

Epic is my go-to for getting back into the swing of hobbying. Whether you’re building or painting the tiny scale means you can make good progress in short spaces of time.

The build can be fiddly, but ever since I got my VDU/Reading glasses? It’s been so, so much easier. My prescription isn’t heavy, just the usual middle age stuff. But pop them on, and the slight magnification works wonders.

It’s also a very satisfying scale to collect. Not only does it not take long compared to larger scales to knock out a painted army? But painted armies look fantastic. In terms of cinematics of the mind? Seeing my collection all painted and displayed, hundreds of tiny warriors, dozens of tanks? Makes me think of End Game and the Charge of the Rohirrim.

And once you’ve spent three, four weeks doing an epic army or adding new units? Your hobby stamina (well, mine at least!) is sufficient to make good progress on 28mm scale.

Day 6, 6th January 2026

And so begins the inevitable. Shiny new filter booth thing. And some handy, pre-cut grease proof oven sheet.

Aiming to get most, if not all, undercoating done by the end of tonight.

If not? Lunch break task for tomorrow. Really depends if I remember to keep popping back up stairs after allowing drying time.

Second Wave? Dyyyyye!

And third wave. One more to go. Which is mostly drop pod. Which I know are going to be a bit of a pain.

Drop Pods and Araknae underway.




Automatically Appended Next Post:
And I found my (assembled) Thunderhawk. So that’s undercoated now as well.

Next step is the gun metal drybrush on the top half or so of everything.

In theory that shouldn’t take me more than an evening or two. But depends if I run out of the gun metal paint. Can’t remember how much I have left!

Day 7, 7 January 2026

That? Was a lot of drybrushing! Like…a lot a lot. All ready for Grim Blacking, which conveniently is the next step.

At this rate, I may have this lot done and dusted by the end of next week.

Wow- that’s a huge amount of models to progress good effort, must be some sort of record for speed painting an epic tank company!

That's a LOT of progress! Looking good Doc, got your 2026 hobbying off to a great start.

Thanks peeps ]

Day 8, 8th January 2025

Black…..black……BLACK!

What’s for dinner mother? PINS????

Please note I know I missed the end of the gun barrels. That’s because that was my hand hold, and each tank is going to take a couple of sessions (top and bottom side, innit).

Might do more, but currently enjoying some Murder, She Wrote.

Day 9, 9 January 2026

Underside of last night’s tanks Grim Blacked, and started on my 16 Vindicators.

Tattoo day tomorrow, including finishing off the inner elbow. Which hurts, like, a lot. So not sure how much I’ll be up to. Really depends on pain levels and that.

Inner elbow?!?! Ye gods Doc, I had one on my shoulder years back and vowed never again - you're some kind of stone cold maniac!

It looks pretty (tomorrow is just finishing off some details after I hit my threshold last time), but by god it hurts. And throbbed for a week. Oooer.

Congratulations on the new place Mad Doc and wish you the best for 2026

I hate needles far too much to ever get tattoos or piercings. Your army is coming along nicely!

Back from tattoo, and it’s not hurty at all. Which means, once I’ve enjoyed Spartacus, House of Ashur I should be able to crack on in the hobby grotto.

Day 10, 10 January 2026

Vindicators finished being Grim Blacked. Serious inroads made to the Super Heavy Contingent too.

Tomorrow I’ll do the underside of the Super Heavies, and make a start on the fliers I think. Drop Pods I only really want to black in the fins and door edges. I reckon a thin wash of a rusty brown would finish off the interiors.

Congrats on getting back on the Hobby horse and cranking out some serious progress!

Thank you! Currently making a Sunday Roast, so no hobby just yet today. But plenty time.

Intend to finsih off the Super Heavies Grim Black, then probably do the bit I’ve been putting off, the Saturnine Terminators.